Demand for word-of-mouth marketing is in increase. With the emergence of
new consumer, traditional marketing can no longer influence the consumer purchase
decisions. This creates a gap between the new role of the consumer and the existing
marketing strategies. In an increasingly competitive marketplace and abundance of
choice, customers no longer trust the messages they are sent by traditional marketing
channels. As a result, word-of-mouth marketing gained importance. Based on
recommendations between two or more consumers related to a product or service, wordof-
mouth is regarded as the most credible source of information and the most powerful
tool to influence consumer purchase decision. Today, more and more companies have
begun to include word-of-mouth in their marketing mix. For the majority, word-ofmouth
is known but not yet fully understood.
The purpose of this thesis is to provide an in-dept analysis of word-of-mouth,
deciphering its components and its impact on consumer decision, and demonstrate how
involving consumers in marketing campaigns can add value to companies with
examples from all around the world, namely the United States, Germany, Turkey, South
Africa and Australia.